Apparatus for crowning containers under vacuum



J. KANTOR Feb. 23, 1954 APPARATUS FOR CROWNING CONTAINERSy UNDER VACUUM vZ: Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1l, 1949 INVENTOR.

@Mss Mraz?, BY!

zgay

ATTOEMK Feb. 23, 1954 J, KANTOR 2,670,117

APPARATUS FOR CROWNING CONTAINERS UNDER VACUUM Filed May 1l, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 47 51 48 @a BY.

ATTO/Wwf( Feb. 23, 1954 J. KANT-0R 2,670,117

APPARATUS FOR CROWNING CONTAINERS UNDER VACUUM Filed May 11, 1949 3 Sheetus-Sheet 3 R. vu aw/A5.. w

7 O w la m mili Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED PATENT' vF'FICI 'APPR'A'EUSEOR CROWN CONTAINERS,

` UNDER VACUUM' James;` Kantor, h'cago, vI`lI'.,. assigner tov The Liquid Carbonio- Gnrporation, Chicago Ill., 'a .corporation ofgDelafware Application Mayu, 1949-, seriarNo. 92554.6-

-7'Qlain1s. (01.52256-1821) The present .invention relates to improvement iii-.apparatus for applyingvcrowns or 'capsi'tofiilled containers while vthe ycontainers. are: .subject to vacuum or partial". vacuum .for `the ,lnirpos'e of exhausting the air therefrom.

In .the .filling or :beverage containers, after the container .has been 4iillled' to the desired "level, there. is left :at theftopr of :the container a 'small portion .of-.the :container unikled. unfilled portion ofthe. containercontainsxair'which, when thefcrown 'is appliedto :the container, is v,sealed :therein andv which, particularly in carbonated beverages suon. .as beer and the .non-'alcoholic carbonated beverages' -has a deterioratingrv eiiect .fontheheveraga Asa period oftimefhas elapsed,

it has.: been foundz'that this small lamount, ofy l`air affect the' test. .and color, particularly `of .the bemand. is likewise. detrimentalto other carbonated .nevera-ges; l

`It is. one of the o'bziects' 'of my invention to provide an apparatus :for applyinesthe crowns to 'the' -.lled -containers whiclzx just'prior- "to the application 'of the sealing of. :the crown to: the container, draws; :a vacuum around; the.Y neck of the `c :ontai-ner to thereby' -fevacuatef such' air as may be `eo1;1'ai11e.d .the Space labove the liquid levelinthecontainen It is a further .object of invention tofeprovide `I-lflpkyens Afor sealing the crowning -.throat, which surrounds. the container @noch .immedi- 'ately V af-.ter Vthe deposit :of `alerowvnfon''said throat, .so that the :air in said-.throatmaybe exhausted with itthe :in the container above the ,liquidlevei Y 1t .is a. further obieotfof my to pro,-

a crowning mechanism having-theiabose characteristics in which the'. crown will Vhea-1c?- curately lpositioned v.for placement y1.113011 ythe .top of .the 4bottle and thereby ravoid, any .danger of crushing the crown an-d therefore the .neck .of the bottle, or any danger of the .crown becoming cocked when being .placedonjthe.-container. K .Further olofects and advantages. `.fofrny :invention will appear Yherina'fter in thespeci-catiQn and. appendedclaims. v f v For the purpose of disclosing .my .invention I have illustrated an embodiment thelf in 'the jaccompanyingdrawings wherein: f

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view-of so much of a crowning .machineasV isnecessaryfor illustrating my invention;

Eig, v.2 is a longitudinal .sectional kview of a crowning heed- .embodvinelmy invention;

Fis, 4 t is a-deta'il'ed ysectional'1i/ iev fjsh'owlnr .the bottle in .position with the ,crownsppliedthere- Z to and'be'fore the crown moves to retracted lposition; Y

Fig; 4 is -a transverse section taken on the lines of `1 -loi? Fig. '3;

5 is a vdetailed section showing the connecting means lloe'tweon 'the `crowning head and the vacuum and pressure producing apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the control rings;

Fig. "i is a perspective View of varsecoi-'ldcontrol Ying;

Figs. 8,' l9 `and 1E0V are respectively, sectional views on lines "8 8, 9 9, lll-TH] of Fig. 7, and

AFig. 11 is a perspective view of the control ring associated with thering lin Fig. "7".

In the structure illustrated a prefer-able hol- "loW support extends upwardly .from a base supporting mechanism (not show-n) and carries in addition 'to the rotating parts of Athe column, a stationary 'housing Y2 which 4surrounds the crowning `hea-ds. This housing b2 is secured in position upon the 'center `post through la medium of a clamping rod 3 which extends throughthe `eenymember 4..

Thehousing'Z has-Secured thereto a sloot/c25 'which `is also vkeyed to the centertpost through l thefmediumfof suitable keys yliso .that this sleeve v'will beheld inv a non-rotatable position.

Surrounding the sleeve 'i5 fand rotatably supported thereon is -a hub `1 which car-ries `a plurality of cylindrical guides 8, each of which is adapted to laceomnfxodate a crowning head 8. vThe crowning' head i9 is reciprocally .mounted within the sleeve, but is heldfrotatably'stationary'rela- 'tive lto the sleeve through the mediumlof 'keys lEach'of the heads, which comprise acylindrical housing I'I "is'provided with a top yoke I'2 carrying at its upperend a'stud I3 on which is 'mounted a roller I4. This lroller Voperates in a cam "track .1"5, which, 'it is Itohe noted, is stat'ionarily mounted within the housing 2. Therefore asthe crowning `head rotates the roller it, cooperating with the vearn I5, will cause the .crowninghead to reciprocate vertically. lWith thev bottle vertically stationarily supported On a .suitable table beneath the crowning head, .as the head .is moved downwardly, .the neck ofthe bottle will :be embraced by thev lcrowning throat and associated parts .for the application of the .crown thereto. While, .for convenience, I :use .the expression .bottie `it will be understood that this term-is `oomprehen-sive enough to include other types of containers.

The housing Il has reciprocally mounted therein a hollow stem i6 which is biased toward the lower end of the housing through the medium of a coiled spring I'I surrounding the stem and abutting against the top of a collar I8 threaded to the lower end of the stem and against locking rings ISl-iS arranged in the top of the housing I I. This stem extends upwardly through a restricted opening in thetop of the housing l I and is closed at its top by a threaded plug 2D having an enlarged nut 2l at its top. This enlarged nut acts as a limit stop to limit the downward movement vof the stem I6 under the iniluence of the spring iI.

During a certain portion of the operation of the crowning head, this stem I 6 is adapted to be locked against movement relatively to the housing I I and to this end the rings IS-I 9 have their abutting edges beveled to form a V-shaped slot 22. The side walls of the stem I3 are slotted to receive a pair of locking dogs 23 pivoted at 24 to the stem IS and adapted to be oscillated on their pivots to swing their tapered upper ends into and out of the wedge shaped slot 22.

The locking dogs are moved into and out of locking position and maintained in a locking position under certain conditions, through a rnedium of a plunger 24 mounted within. the stem I6 and biased in a downward direction by a coiled spring 25 interposed between the spaced shoulders on the plunger 24 and on the stern I6. The upper end of this plunger 24 is provided with a reduced shank 25 forming a cammed shoulder 21 and a second cammed shoulder 28, while the top of the plunger is provided with an enlarged head 29 and with a slightly reduced boss 30.

.With the parts in the position illustrated in Fig.

2, it is to be noted that the boss ts between the upper ends of the dog 23 holding their edges .into the V-shaped slot 22 so that the stem I8 is locked against any upward movement relative to the housing Il. When the plunger 24, however, is moved upward the boss 30 will move out from between the top ends of the dogs and release the dogs. At the same time the cammed surfaces 21 will engage the bottom inner edges -of the dogs operating upon the bottom inner a crowning throat and to this end the lower end of the collar I 3 is provided with a cylindrical throat 3| which comprises a pair of wedge shaped rings, the ring 32 being segmented and adapted to be contracted about the side of the lip of the crown and the ring 33, comprising a means for contractingthe crimping ring 32. The contracting ring 33 is forced downwardly by a. cup like member 34 clamped between the end of the stem I6 and an internal shoulder on the collar I8. This cup like member is provided with a central opening to receive the lower end 35 of the plunger 24. In order to seal the plunger or the crowning throat against the escape of air past the plunger, I provide a grommet 36 which surrounds the plunger and is squeezed against the plunger by a ring nut 31 which screws down on top of the grommet and cramps the same on the inturned iianges at the bottom of the collar 34.

At the side of the collar 3i I provide a slot suiliciently wide to permit the insertion therei through of the crown which is adapted to be placed on the bottle. This crown is delivered into position from the crown chute 38. This chute is supported, as shown in Fig. l, on the housing 2 and is so positioned that as the crowning head moves in its rotative movement to a point opposite the chute a crown will be delivered into the crown throat. This receiving slot for the crown is closed, after the crown has been placed in position, through the medium of a closure member comprising a preferably rubber stopper 3S mounted on the face of an arm 40 pivoted on a pivot pin 4i supported between bearing member 42 on the collar 3I. Coiled springs disposed at the opposite ends of the pivot member bias the arm into a position to move the stopper member 39 into sealing position. The arm 43 is maintained in its open position through the medium of a roller 43 mounted on a stem 44 carried on an arm 45 extending at right angles to the arm 4i). During that portion of the `travel of the crowningV head prior to the deposit of a crown into position, this roller 43 bears upon a cam 46 on the housing 2 to maintain the closure member 39 in an open position.

Supported beneath the crowning throat is a. centering bell which is provided with a tapered throat 4l for the reception and guidance of the bottle. This centering bell has an annular groove therein which receives a sealing ring 48 ywhich comprises a tubular ring clamped into position within the groove and being tubular the ring is hollow having, however, a communicating port v4S with an inlet 5i) for purposes more fully hereinafter described. Above the sealing ring 48 is disposed a crown rest 5I which comprises a tapered shoulder slightly smaller in diameter than the lip of a crown so that a crown, when delivered from the crown chute into the throat, will be positioned in centered alinement with the center of the neck of the bottle. It is to be noted that the opening 52 at the lower end of the crown throat and immediately above the crown rest 5I is of a diameter only very slightly greater than the diameter of the crown and its flared lip so that when the crown is delivered from the crown chute 38 into the crown throat and in a position on the crown rest there is no danger of the crown being displaced on the crown rest or cocked The arrangement insures the absolute centering of the crown with respect to the bottle neck.

The centering bell and its associated guiding throat 41 'is made separately from the crown throat and is secured to the crown throat through the means of lugs 53 on the rest member which t between ears 54 on the throat collar Si, suitable restraining pins 55 being passed through the ears and through the lugs. In order to make a tight seal joint between the bell and the bottom of the throat the top face of the bell is provided with a gasket 5B.

The lower end of the stem or cylinder i8 is provided with a cup like collar 51 for catching any oil drip or the like which may iiow down on parts and preventing the same to iicw onto the top of the bottle or getting into the crown throat.

The crown throat is provided with a port 58 communicating with a port nipple 59. Through the medium of this port a vacuum or partial vacuum is drawn in the crown throat prior to the sealing of the top of the bottle by the crown.

For controlling the vacuum in the crown throat and the pressure in the sealing-ring 48, the respective chambers are adapted to'be connected with a vacuum pump and an air pressure pump.

:2i-motiv To this fend. theA .nulo 1 'is provided witlof-control valve rings which control 'the connections oe tween .the vacuum 'pump and 'the throat 'and the pressure pump and the sealingiring. A supply ling :60 surrounds e huh 1, lolit- -is si@ .tiona-riy relatively to the nnb, being held ist ion. `:try by vthe :pipes 65 4and "51. This 'supply fr provided on its 'top face with an 'groove o4' connected 'by a pipe 65 titithianyeiiitolole ysource lof :pressure Las for instance, 'a pressure pump. -A second annular groove :66 .iis provided 'the 'top face of the ring., yconcentric; with fthe groot/e154 and this .groove 86 is connected '1651" iai p'i-loe $1 with a sui-table or' other Vacuum 'pi-'oe dosing .tipparetiisr l Cooperating lwith the :supply ring' "so fis what 'may be termed o 'valveirlingf 68. ring'isInte Wise .held 'in non-'rotateole position throng-h the medium ofv a. pin 6l .passing through an operi .ing in a *holding fdog '89 and through a selected one of a plurality' of openings ino log vtizi on 'the :ring .60. eiect the ifiiigs .6o and ``68 are one aand the same. ring d8 liirvided what .may be terme-o a groove lo, on its opper face' and communicating through yafport 1i with the 4groove 6ft. '."Ihoiringf Bsis also provided t th V:i pressure exnaus'ting'lg'roove 12 communicating through-a 'port '13 with the atmosphere. y

A vacuum ooiitrol groove- 'M- is 'provided fon its upper face, concentric with the groovey "16 and this groove', throughV fa V4poit' 15, communicates with the vacuum groove Belin the ring Sii. This Vacuum groove 'Hi 4is' son'fiieit shorter thany 'the groove 'F0 soseating pressure inelif be'iaplpi'ied to the ring: 4e prior tothe drawingof the vacuum in the crowning -t. addition 'to the vecuumgroove lo the ri o Sois provided with a presn sure grooveii circ'innierentialiy eeparetteol from the vacuum ygroove Hl and this pressure groove communicates through the medicinof a port 1i with a pressure groove o4 the rrgS-U.'

Disposed aloove the vaiiferingtt isa commonl- -oetion ring 'is isi-rotatable thehun* 1. Thislring ri'sf provided vfiitifil vloilessllre 'port FTS adapt'ed et one period fof rotation of the 1 to oommiinicate with the' pretentie poly vgrooves' 'l0 and .12. The ring' is aiso pro ded witna vacuum port 'te adopted daring certain portions of: the rotation of the ring is to looininunicate with the Vocento-grooves lol and re 'in ring efe.

i' Port' 19 is" Icoirieote-fd 'a' Suitable iiipeor fIeXlibliehoseooiineotion 8l with the nipple to on vthe crowningV nooo, and thereby with the sealing ring 48.' Porttt 'is connected 'by :i ""tabecon-nec tioii, pipe or'fietf-bei'iose, [SZ which inl tlirli is` o0nnected with the nipple-"5e and therefore commonicateswith the crown throat; Y

In operation, as the crowning head rotates-fthe bottle to Ybe crowned is positionedonthe table 89 immediately beneath the crowning-heno. Du'rfi ing this initiai'oleration the gate or stopper 3!! is open; in the positionv illnstrated'inFig Being heid open by the* caldi 6. When 'the' crowning heed moves' to its station oppositethe crown chute tft a crown is fed ont of the crown chiite A38 into the crowning throat". It' 'wiHbe iidted s heretofore explained, that thecrdwnng throat is of' just sufficient diamo-torto accommodate a crown with its `lip expanded. Accordingly the crown will immediately position itself on .the

crown rest, which, as heretofore explainedghets a tapered seat lso that the' crown 'willbe erzafctl'y centered with respect to the bottle. A continued rotation of vthet'crowniito need lmoves the roller il? 'out of engagement with the cam #t so that the coiled wil@ more theV g'ate '-ft' position 'thus push-ing: `the ycrown :into position. fon the crown lrest and Vsealing the orlownreceivin opening in tno side wall 'of' the crown throat, With the continued rotation of 'the' crown head the roller 14 and cam track l5 will cause 'the head to descend and. asi the crown/head deseen-ds the top' of the :bottle isA engage-diend; tiered 'by the centering.- be11-41` so thaty the-'nook of trie- 'b'ottle will. be guided vand' proiecttllirori-gn the crown rest receiving the crown' 'on the topof inetd-.tie A At -a'iho-t 'this period 'the press'i'e groove 110i placed in communication with the in n or for the ring 48 and air undeifpl'es'sm bei-iigfodiiitted to the interior of' 'the ring 48 will expand this ring, or if `the expression is preferable, `winicon*- tract `the ring around the neck of' the bottleseoLi ing; this portion or the lcrown throat against'th atmosphere. We therefore have at this point-fa seal-irte crowning throat sealed againsttherodolfo-'-V sion of atmospheric D'ies'sure. Immediately afti the neck ofthe bottlfeis sealed by thering -NB groove M comes into action placing the crown throat, through the port 3'5 and associated ports, in communication with the vacuum prod'l'loing means and a Vacuum or partial vacuum is drawn in the crown throat to exhaust the air therefrom and from the head space of vthe bottle. 'The de-l gree of Vacuum is Very carefully oontiolle'dor reg uiated so as to removey asinuch air :isA possible from the heed space in the bottle" atidiany lire face foam which may be contained in this head space', but 'is not sufficiently great tol agitelt'eth'e contents of the bottle. i c y With a continued rotation of thel head the plunger 24 contacts" the top of the'- cap or 'crown lying on the bottle' l'r'n'ly' settingsane thereon. At this point, during'the des-cent of the hea'dt the plunger' comes to a vstop 'so that with the conv-4 tinned downward movement of the stem I'S the crimper is 'moved down into engagex'nent 4with the -lip of the crown, crimping same' around the bottle. Dringfthis operationfthe head'inaintains thel vcrown 'tightly secored'ontheoottle, `lout with the continued descent `of the stern the 'cani fsllfrf- :focegzi' engages the lower 'endo` of 'the dog" '23 Spreading the Seme' en@ "diselfleagig the :eli f the' dogs" from -theft'-'siiaped slot??= thlisvreleasing the sterii ldfiornth'e housing I Iv so that' tfiesteri will? remain relatively stationary diiringa-nyj fur` the descent oftheiiousing. avoids any dan ser of crushing 'the bottleand at tnesaine 'time compensation. is triade' for' diierent sifzjes ylieie'lfits ofthe bottle. 'A 'A K Bearing in mind :that the head; duringjthe Fattore operation, isrotated; `Icy the tiinetliecrown 'is "eiiectu'alivsealed or crimped' onto theloottld the 'escape port" Y2* is brought intocommunication with the sealingI at thus shutting off com medication of the seeiingfring with thepressure supply and placing the sealing ring in c'etio'li With the: atmosphere isofthatthefneck 'of the bottle is released. Imrnediateiy prior totl'iis moment the port to has moved" out of gommonifc'at'i'oiz with the groove Tft so that? the'rcrowli throat is disconr'ieod from the vaciil'i'ill'`plocllio ing-moons and with the sealing' ring released,@ttt miosph'eric pressuremay be adinittedto theoijown' ing tnroo't; l I As the crowning'lieod continuesI 'to rota-tothe "crowning head will' benioved-upwardlyand dring this period the'tnroat will be placed in lcompiti'ni'cotion' for 4ti 'snort period tliioiith the tires-store' :groove 'd6 "thpies'llre lliuiii So that air under pressure will bedelivered in the crown throat blowing out of the crowning throat any foam, particles of glass or other foreign matter which may have been trapped therein.

It is to be noted, that the ring 48 is clamped onto a metal ring 83 which ring is provided with a series of inlet ports 84 connecting with an annular groove 85 in turn communicating through the port 49 with the nipple 5B. Therefore upon the admission of air under pressure through the port 49 the air will rapidly enter the ring i8 at numerous points at the circumference, causing more or less expansion simultaneously in the ring against the neck of the container.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a crowning head having a crown throat at its lower end; a crown crimping means arranged in said throat; said throat having a crown receiving aperture in the lside wall thereof a centering bell rigidly supported from said head below said throat andhaving a central container neck receiving opening therein and an annular crown rest surrounding said opening and disposed beneath said throat; means for eiecting a sealing contact between said bell and said throat; inatable means in said bell for sealingly engaging the neck of the container projected through said opening in said bell and providing by said sealing engagement a chamber above the mouth of the container in said throat; a gate for sealingly closing the aperture in the side walls of the throat to seal said chambers; means for biasing said gate in its closed positions; means for maintaining said gate in its open position and adapted to release said gate kafter the crown has been deposited in said throat to permit said throat to be closed and seal the closing aperture in the side walls of the throat to provide a seal for said chamber; means for exhausting the air from said chamber and meansrfor operating said crimper to crimp the crown on said container neck during the period the air is exhausted from said chamber.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a crowning head having a crown throat at its lower end; a crown crimping means arranged in said throat, said throat having a crown receiving aperture in the side wall thereof a centering bell rigidly supported from said head below said throat and having a central container neck receiving opening therein and an annular crown rest surrounding said opening; the walls of said crown rest being inclined downwardly and the diameter of said throat being substantially the same as the greater diameter of the crown rest; means for effecting a sealing contact between said bell and throat; inflatable means in the bell for sealingly engaging the neck of a container projected through said opening in said bell and providing by said sealing en gagement a chamber above the mouth of the container in said throat; a gate for sealingly closing the aperture in the side wall of the throat to seal said chamber; means for eiecting the closure of said gate when the neck of the container is sealed in said bell and after a crown has been deposited through said side wall aperture onto said crown rest; means for exhausting air from said sealed chamber and means for operating said crimper to crimp the crown on said container neck during the period the air is exhausted from said chamber.

'3. In an apparatus of the character described, .in combination, a crowning head having a crown throat at its lower end; a crown crimping means arranged in said throat, said throat having a crown receiving aperture in the side wall thereof; a centering bell rigidly supported from said head below said throat and having a central container neck receiving opening therein and an annular crown rest surrounding said opening and disposed beneath said throat, said crown rest having downwardly inclined crown supporting walls tapering inwardly toward the center opening of the rest; the diameter of said throat with the gate closed being substantially the same as the greater diameter of said crown rest; means for eliecting a sealing contact between said bell and said throat; means in said bell for sealingly engaging the neck of a container projected through the throat in said bell and providing by said sealing engagement a chamber above the mouth of the container in said throat; a gate for sealingly closing the aperture in the side walls of the container to seal said chamber; means for eiecting the closure of said gate when the neck of the container is sealed in said bell and after a crown has been deposited through said side wall aperture onto said crown rest; means for exhausting the air from said sealed chamber and means for operating said crimper to crimp the crown on said container neck during the period the air is exhausted from said chamber.

4. In an apparatus of the character described. in combination, a crowning head having a crown throat at its lower end; crown crimping means arranged in said throat, said throat having a crown receiving aperture in the side wall thereof; a centering bell rigidly supported from said head below said throat and having a central container neck receiving opening therein and an annular crown rest surrounding said opening and disposed beneath said throat; means for eiecting a sealing contact between said bell and said throat; a hollow sealing ring disposed in said centering bell; means for admitting air under pressure to the interior of said sealing ring to expand the inner walls thereof into sealing engagement with the neck of a container projected through said bell opening; a gate for sealingly closing the aperture in said side wall oi the throat to provide in said throat a sealed charnber; means for effecting the closure of said gate when the neck of the container is sealed in said bell and after a crown has been deposited through said side wall aperture onto said crownl rest; means for exhausting the air from said sealed chamber and means for operating said crimper to crimp the crown on said container neck during the period the air is exhausted from said cham ber.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a crowning head having a crown throat at its lower end; crown crimping means arranged in said throat, said throat having a crown receiving aperture in its side wall; a centering bell rigidly supported from said head below said throat and having a central container neck receiving opening therein and an annular crown rest surrounding said opening and disposed beneath said throat; means for effecting a sealing contact between said bell and said throat; means in said bell for sealingly engaging the neck of a container projected through the opening in said Abell and providing a chamber above the mouth of the container in said throat; a closure gate for said aperture pivotally mounted on the side wall of said crowning throat and swingable from an open position to a position to close said aperture; spring means biasing said gate into closed position; a bell crank lever connected to said gate; a relatively stationary cam engageable by said gate for moving said gate into an open position, said cam effecting the release of said gate to effect the closure thereof under the inuence of said spring to seal the chamber above the throat of a container projected into said bell after a crown has been deposited through said side wall aperture onto said crown rest; means for exhausting the air from said sealed chamber and means for operating said crimper to crimp the crown on said container neck during the period the air is exhausted from said chamber.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a crowning head having a crown throat at its lower end; crown crimping means arranged in said throat; said throat having a crown receiving aperture in the side wall thereof a centering bell rigidly supported from said head below said throat and having a central container neck receiving opening therein and an annular crown rest surrounding said opening and disposed beneath said throat; a hollow sealing ring mounted within said centering bell and l adapted to make sealing engagement with the neck of a container projected through said throat; a gate for sealingly closing the aperture in the side wall of said bottle, said gate and sealing ring cooperating to .provide a sealed chamber receiving the neck of a container; means for supplying air under pressure to said hollow ring to expand the inner walls thereof into contact with the neck of the container; means for exhausting the air from said sealed chamber and means for operating said crimper to crimp the crown on said container neck while said chamber is exhausted; valve means for controlling the admission of air under pressure to said sealing ring and controlling the exhaustion of air from said chamber, said crowning head being movable in a iixed path of travel and said valve means being operated by the movement of said head in its fixed path of travel to initially admit air under pressure to said sealing ring,

and then connecting said chamber with said exhaustion means while continuing `the admission of air under pressure to said sealing ring.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a crowning head rotatable in a ixed path of travel and having a crowning throat provided with a crown receiving aperture in its side wall; a crown crimping means arranged in said throat; a centering bell rigidly supported from said head below said throat and having a central container neck receiving opening therein and an annular crown rest surrounding said opening and disposed beneath said throat; means for effecting a sealing contact between said bell and said throat; a hollow sealing ring disposed Within said centering bell and having its inner walls expandable into sealing engagement with the neck of a container projecting through said bell; a gate for closing said aperture and when closed to provide with the sealing of the neck of the container a sealed chamber; means for closing said gate after a crown has been inserted through said aperture and deposited upon said crown rest; vacuum producing means connected vwith said chamber and pressure producing means connected with said ring; valve controlling means and means operated by the rotated movement of said head for operating said valve controlling means to initially admit pressure through said pressure connection to said ring and then eiect an exhaustion of the air in said chamber through said connection with said vacuum producing means while maintaining said pressure in said ring and then connecting said ring with the atmosphere and finally connecting said chamber with said pressure producing means.

JAMES KANTOR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,188,044 Clay June 30, 1916 1,881,783 Mallinckrodt et al. Oct. 11, 1932 2,235,583 Kronquest et al. Mar. 18, 1941 2,378,640 Kantor June 19, 1945 2,411,232 Sedwick Nov. 19, 1946 

